Air treating unit



UH dslUdqiUlS Dec. 21, 1937.

3" DE LANCEY M. HALL 2,102.703

AIR TREATING UNIT Filed Oct. 19, 1935 DELHNCIZY 'YLHGLL.

NVENTOR A TTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 18 Claims.

This invention relates to the conditioning of air and more particularly to a unit adaptable for treating air, either heating or cooling it, and circulating the treated air together with untreated air in an enclosure, such as a room or other confined spaces, as between decks on shipboard, etc., where space is relatively limited and drafts are undesirable.

An object of the present invention is to provide a compact air treating unit embodying an air circulating medium such as a fan, which is located in proximity to an air treating coil and which fan draws the air to be treated through the coil and distributes it into the enclosure, and also to provide an air circulating member which will circulate a quantity of untreated air, mix it with the treated air and deliver the admixture to the enclosure or room.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an air treating or conditioning unit as specified, which is simple in construction, compact, and may be mounted in any suitable loca tion in an enclosure, such as on the ceiling, on a side wall or at any other desired place in the enclosure, and will not require an objectionable amount of space, as well as one which may be manufactured at a relatively low cost, will be inexpensive to install and may be installed in a finished enclosure without requiring appreciable alterations thereto.

With these and other objects in view, as may appear from the accompanying specification, the invention consists of various features of construction and combination of parts, which will be first described in connection with the accompanying drawing, showing an air treating unit of the preferred form embodying the invention, and the features forming the invention will be specifically pointed out in the claims.

Fig. l is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section of the improved air conditioning unit.

Fig. 2 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section of a modified form of the air conditioning unit.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the improved air conditioning unit includes a pair of attaching supporting plates I and 2 which -are arranged parallel in spaced relation forming top and bottom sides for the unit. The sides or edges of the unit are open so as to permit air to pass between the plates I and 2. The plates I and 2 are connected by any suitable type of connecting bolts 3 which maintain them in rigid spaced position and which bolts may, if it is so desired, be utilized for attaching the air conditioning unit to the walls or ceiling of the enclosure in which it is to be used. The bottom or outer plate 2 is provided with a centrally disposed opening 3 and a fan 4, which is positioned outwardly 5 of the plate 2 in close proximity thereto and with its axis coinciding with the axis of the opening 3.

The fan 4 is shown in the drawing as being a double blade fan, that is a fan having a flat solid 10 disc 5 on the upper side of which are attached a plurality of air circulating blades 6. A second set of air circulating blades 1 are attached to the undersurface of the disc 5 so as to provide, in effect, two fans, one provided by the set of blades 15 6 and the other by the set of blades I. The motor 8 which operates the fan is supported in a suitable manner, as indicated at 9, from the plates I and 2 and is disposed between the plates.

The blades 6 of the fan, it will be noted, project beyond the perimeter of the opening 3 so that the fan blade 6 and the opening 3 are arranged that the suction action of the fan will draw air between the plates I and 2 outwardly through the opening 3 and discharge it in tangential streams into the enclosure (not shown) in which the unit is mounted outwardly of the outermost plate 2.

A plurality of air conditioning coils ID are supported by and mounted between the plates I and 2. The various coils I0 are connected in parallel to an inlet header I I and an outlet header I2, so as to provide independent and uniform circulation through each of the coils. The inlet header I0 may be connected to a source of supply (not shown) of a heating medium, such as steam or the like, for heating the coils I0 and consequently heating the air as it is drawn through the space between the plates I and 2 and about and across the various coils ID. If it is so desired a refrigerant of any suitable type may be circulated through the coils I0 for cooling the air drawn through the space between the plates I and 2 and over and about the coils II].

In operation, the suction action of the set of blades 6 of the fan 4 will draw the air to be treated through the space between the plates I and 2 and about the coils, and this treated air will be picked up by the blade 6 and discharged into the room or enclosure. The outer or under set of blades I of the fan will pick up a quantity of untreated 50 air from the enclosure and discharge this untreated air into the enclosure in streams which will mix with the streams of treated air, a relatively short distance outwardly from the perimeter of the fan, thereby setting up a circulation of mixed treated and untreated air in the enclosure for the purpose of either heating or cooling the enclosure as desired.

In Fig. 2, a modified form of the invention is shown and in this modified form parallel plates 1' and 2' are provided which are spaced in parallel relation and connected by bolts 3 forming the space between the plates into and through which air is drawn by the action of the fan 4'. The plate 2' has a central opening 3' therein, adjacent to which the blades 6' of the fan 4 pass during rotation of the fan. The air treating coils 20, in the modified form in Fig. 2 are, like the coils l0, placed between the plates l' and 2 but unlike the coils to, they are connected in series so that either the heating medium or the refrigerant circulates continuously through the coils from the inlet 2| to the outlet 22.

In this modified form the fan blades 7' are shown as of greater area than the fan blades 6 so that a greater quantity of air will be acted upon by the fan blades 1' than is acted upon by the fan blades 6. It is to be understood of course that this arrangement of fan blades may be reversed with the fan blades 6' which act upon the treating air having greater area than the fan blades 1 which act upon the untreated air, should conditions require that the proportion of treated air in the admixture be greater than the proportion of untreated air.

Also in this modified form of the invention, a duct 23 is shown as delivering air to the set of fan blades 1'. It is to be understood that this duct may have its inlet or source of supply of air at any suitable point; that is, it may be arranged to deliver outside air to the fan blades 1, that is air obtained from outside of the enclosure in which the treating unit is mounted or it may have its source of supply for air at any convenient point, without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It is also to be understood that should the installation require it, a duct or opening may be provided for delivering fresh or outside air to the space between the plates I and 2' without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Such a duct is shown in dotted lines at 24 in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

Also if it is so desired and conditions require it, a duct, as shown in dotted lines at 25, may be provided for receiving the treated and untreated air as it is delivered by the fan for conducting it to any suitable point for release into the enclosure.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific construction or arrangement of parts shown but that they may be widely modified within the invention defined by the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an air treating unit, an attaching support structure forming an air guiding passage, an air treating member carried by said attaching support, and an air circulating member carried by said support, said air circulating member constructed to circulate a quantity of untreated air and mix it with the treated air circulated.

2. In an air treating unit, an attaching support structure forming an air guiding passage, an air treating member carried by said attaching support, a fan carried by said support, said fan embodying a set of blades for drawing air through said attaching support structure and said air treating member and distributing it into the space about the unit, said fan provided with 9.

second set of blades for acting on untreated air and mixing it with the treated air.

3. In an air treating unit, an attaching support structure forming an air guiding passage, an air treating member carried by said attaching support, a fan carried by said support, said fan embodying a set of blades for drawing air through said attaching support structure and said air treating member and distributing it into the space about the unit, said fan provided with a second set of blades for acting on untreated air and mixing it with the treated air, the fan blades of one set having greater capacity than the fan blades of the other set whereby unequal quantities of treated and. untreated air will be circulated.

4. In an air treating unit, an attaching support structure forming an air guiding passage, an air treating member carried by said attaching support, an air circulating member carried by said support, said air circulating member constructed to circulate a quantity of untreated air and mix it with the treated air circulated, said air circulating member constructed to circulate unequal quantities of treated and untreated air.

5. In an air conditioning unit, a pair of spaced parallel plates forming an air guiding passage, an air treating unit comprising a plurality of coils, inlet and outlet headers connecting said coils in parallel, said coils positioned between said plates, one of said plates provided with an air outlet opening, and an air circulating member carried by said plates and positioned to draw air through the space between said plates through said coils and said outlet opening and circulate it in the space about the unit and a duct for delivering untreated air to said air circulating member.

6. In an air conditioning unit, a pair of spaced parallel plates forming an air guiding passage, an air treating unit comprising a plurality of coils connected in series and adapted to have an air treating medium circulating therethrough, and an air circulating member carried by said plates and positioned to draw air through the space between said plates through said coils and said outlet opening and circulate it in the space about the unit and a duct for delivering untreated air to the space between said plates.

7. In an air conditioning unit, a pair of spaced parallel plates forming an air guiding passage, an air treating unit comprising a plurality of coils, inlet and outlet headers connecting said coils in parallel, said coils positioned between said plates, one of said plates provided with an air outlet opening, an air circulating fan positioned in close proximity to said outlet opening and having its blades arranged and extending be yond the perimeter of the outlet opening whereby the fan will draw air through the space between said plates through said coils and outlet opening and circulate it in the space about the unit, said fan having a second set of blades thereon for acting on untreated air and mixing it with the treated air.

8. In an air conditioning unit, a pair of spaced parallel plates forming an air guiding passage, an air treating unit comprising a plurality of coils, inlet and outlet headers connecting said coils in parallel, said coils positioned between said plates, one of said plates provided with an air outlet opening, an air circulating fan positioned in close proximity to said outlet opening and having its blades arranged and extending beyond the perimeter of the outlet opening whereby the fan will draw air through the space between said plates through said coils and outlet opening and circulate it in the space about the unit, said fan having a second set of blades thereon for acting on untreated air and mixing it with the treated air, the fan blades of one set having greater capacity than the fan blades of the other set whereby unequal quantities of treated and untreated air will be circulated.

9. In an air conditioning unit, a pair of spaced parallel plates forming an air guiding passage, an air treating unit comprising a plurality of coils, inlet and outlet headers connecting said coils in parallel, said coils positioned between said plates, one of said plates provided with an air outlet opening, an air circulating fan positioned in close proximity to said outlet opening and having its blades arranged and extending beyond the perimeter of the outlet opening whereby the fan will draw air through the space between said plates through said coils and outlet opening and circulate it in the space about the unit, said fan having a second set of blades thereon for acting on untreated air and mixing it with the treated air, and a duct for delivering air to said second set of fan blades.

10. In an air conditioning unit, a pair of spaced parallel plates forming an air guiding passage, an air treating unit comprising a plurality of coils, inlet and outlet headers connecting said coils in parallel, said coils positioned between said plates, one of said plates provided with an air outlet opening, an air circulating fan positioned in close proximity to said outlet opening and having its blades arranged and extending beyond the perimeter of the outlet opening whereby the fan will draw air through the space between said plates through said coils and outlet opening and circulate it in the space about the unit, said fan having a second set of blades thereon for acting on untreated air and mixing it with the treated air, and a duct for delivering air to the space between said plates.

11. In an air conditioning unit, a pair of spaced parallel plates forming an air guiding passage, an air treating unit comprising a plurality of coils, inlet and outlet headers connecting said coils in parallel, said coils positioned between said plates, one of said plates provided with an air outlet opening, an air circulating fan positioned in close proximity to said outlet opening and having its blades arranged and extending beyond the perimeter of the outlet opening whereby the fan will draw air through the space between said plates through said coils and outlet opening and circulate it in the space about the unit, said fan having a second set of blades thereon for acting on untreated air and mixing it with the treated air, and a duct for receiving the treated and untreated air from said fan.

12. In an air treating unit, an attaching support structure forming an air guiding passage, an air treating member carried by said attaching support, a fan carried by said support, said fan embodying a set of blades for drawing air through said attaching support structure and said air treating member and distributing it into the space about the unit, said fan provided with a second set of blades for acting on untreated air and mixing it with the treated air, and a duct for delivering untreated air to said second set of blades.

13. In an air treating unit, an attaching support structure forming an air guiding passage, an air treating member carried by said attaching support, a fan carried by said support, said fan embodying a set of blades for drawing air through said attaching support structure and said air treating member and distributing it into the space about the unit, said fan provided with a second set of blades for acting on untreated air and mixing it with the treated air, and a duct for receiving the treated and untreated air from said fan.

14. In an air treating unit, an attaching support structure, an air treating member carried by said attaching support, an air circulating member carried by said support, said air circulating member constructed to circulate a quantity of untreated air and mix it with treated air circulated, said air circulating member further constructed and arranged to circulate unequal quantities of treated and untreated air.

15. In an air treating unit, an attaching support structure, an air treating member carried by said attaching support, an air circulating member carried by said support, said air circulating member constructed to circulate a quantity of untreated air and mix it with treated air circulated, said air circulating member further constructed and arranged to circulate unequal quantities 01' treated and untreated air, and a duct for delivering untreated air to said circulating member.

16. In an air treating unit, an attaching support structure, an air treating member carried by said attaching support, an air circulating member carried by said support, said air circulating member constructed to circulate a quantity of untreated air and mix it with treated air circulated, said air circulating member further constructed and arranged to circulate unequal quantities of treated and untreated air, and a duct for receiving the treated and untreated air from said circulating member.

17. An air tempering and ventilating device comprising an annular heat exchange coil, baflie members arranged on each side of said coil, a motor mounted within the central space of said coil and having a shaft extending through one of said baiiie members, a fan mounted on the end of said shaft outside of said baflle member, said fan being formed of a circular plate and having radial blades on each side of said plate, said baflle member being provided with an opening adjacent the center of said fan whereby the blades on the fan adjacent said baliie member produce a stream of air which is drawn through said heat exchange coil and is distributed radially from the fan in all directions and the blades on the opposite side of said plate set up a circulating air stream in the ambient atmosphere without passing through said coil.

18. In apparatus for ventilating an enclosure, the combination of a radial fan arranged to set up an air stream flowing radially from the fan in all directions in ambient atmosphere, said fan being formed of a circular plate and having radial blades mounted on each side of said plate, a duct for supplying outside air to the central part of the fan on one side of said plate, an air tempering device arranged on the other side of said fan having an inlet opening exposed to ambient atmosphere and an outlet opening communicating with the central part of the fan, whereby one set of blades distributes outside air radially in all directions within said enclosure, and the other set of blades circulates a stream of ambient air through said tempering device.

DE LANCEY M. HALL. 

